We live in the country and have never really thought about the "what if" but does anyone know what should be done if a dog is bitten by a rattlesnake. I know the obvious answer would be to get to the vet, but what if you're not sure? This hasn't happened but recently we have observed a rattlesnake on our property and our dogs have the freedom to run on our property. Killing the snake isn't an option, we just are curious as to what to do if the situation presented itself.

There is a rattlesnake "vaccine", that should lessen the affect of a snakebite. Here's the manufacturer's site. http://www.redrockbiologics.com/FAQ.html You may want to consider it if you have rattlers on your property and it's likely that the dog may encounter them. There are also snake-breaking courses, where your dog is trained to leave snakes alone.

Failing all that, if your dog does get bit, it's an emergency and you need to get to a vet fast. This can kill your dog, and you will probably need antivenom and supportive care while the dog recovers. If you can, place a tourniquet "upstream" of the bite, to help slow down the spread of the poison, but make sure you loosen it periodically so that you don't have problems from compromised circulation.

Although it wasn't a rattlesnake, but I was a kid and walking my dog in the park and a large snake slithered by. That goodness the dog didn't see it.

Two high school buddies had pet boa's. Large ones. One was curled around the mirror in the bathroom when one of them had a party. Interesting, nonetheless.